Fire-escape.



Patented May I, 5900.

A. KURRE W. H. GIESELER.

FIRE ESGAP E.

(Application filed Oct. 4, 1899.)

(No Model.)

. UNITED STATES. I

AUGUST KURRE AND WILLIAM H. GIESELER, or

YF/IREFESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 648,762, dated-May l, 1900 Application filed October 4, 1899.

To all whom it may concern/.- 7

Be it known: that we, AUGUST KURRE and.

WILLIAM H. GI'ESELER, of the city of New, j York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings andState of New York, have invented a new and Improved Fire-Escape, of which the.

followingis a full,cle ar, and exact description.

One objectof the invention is to provide a fire=escape which may be set up at or adja cent to a window or other opening in abuilding or which may be permanently attached to the'casingof the window or other opening and to so construct the device that after a person has by its use descended from the building the supporting-tape employedfor descending will be automatically and instantly wound up the moment it is released from the suchperson and will bebrought into position 'struction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointedout in theclaims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference'in'dicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a window-frame and an end view of the device attached to the frame, illustrating in dotted lines the manner in which the tape is led from the device out through the window-opening. Fig. 2 is an outer face viewof a portion of the buildingaud the window-frame with the device applied. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the casing containing the device, illilstrating the devicein end elevation and with parts broken away; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the case and through one portion of the mechanism.

The case A is secured to a support B, preferably to theupper member of a windowframe at the inner face of said frame, as shown in Fig. 1.- A shaft 10 is mounted to revolve ,in bearingsll, secured to the support B, the

said bearings being within the case, and at I the inner end of the shaft erably, of an arched spring strap;=is.attach PATENT Serial lilo- 732,494. (No model.)

secured, while betweenth or a chain is attached te thecentral por Q of the reel 0 and is wound up thgereon showninFig.'3. A brake; -gonsisti ngyplte at one of its ends to thesuppol stationaryobjechand tlie'seidhm sie iten over e upp portion Q Laud isfprdvided between its ends e; ,lfocatedq; upon the under face o ,t;he ..,strap,' $116 saidgo do -11 shoe when the strap is drawn ing arranged to engage withsurface of the reel'C. f

'A slot lat is made in t-he low brake-strap 14, as SllOWQglll, Fig gt, lower or outer end of the-slot 1L4 pulley 16 is journaled,;;,the.pix which extends beyond the 'ol re eled passes over the -upper ,p I said friction-roller, as shown i1 1 ,F- v the roller forms a positive guidef since it enters 'thespacezbetwee M the When p edesciend brrmeansu of the tape, the g t-c t eperson-inflame; the brake on the reel and will regulate the rapidity ofthe descent,an'd at the same time the roller 16 will serve as a guide for the tape as it is unreeled, as has been stated, and the tape 13 as unreeled passes out through an opening 17 in the bottom of the case.

A shaft 18 is secured in hangers or brackets 19 at one side of and below the revolving shaft 10. A drum 20 is mounted to turn loosely on the fixed shaft 18, and the said drum is attached to an internally-toothed gear 21. The pinion 12 on the shaft 10 engages 5 with the teeth of the gear 21, as is shown in both Figs. 3 and 4. Aspring 22 is coiled within the drum 20, oneend of which spring is secured to the drum and the other to the fixed shaft 18. Thus when a person descends as the tape is unwound from the reel 0 the'shaft 10 is revolved and in its turn revolves the drum 20, and the drum in turning will wind up the spring 22, so that when a person descending by the tape alights or' releases the tape the spring 22 will immediately uncoil and cause the gear 2l ,to communicate a reverse movement to the shaft and rewind the tape 13 on the reel.

A ring 23 is preferably secured to the outer end of the tape 13, and when a person is to descend the tape is passed through the ring in a manner to produce a slip-loop, and this loop is passed around the body, usually under the arms, so that the person descending is supported in a sling. \Vhen using the device, the tape is carried out through the windowopeningand is held from possible contact with the window-sill or other projections by means of aguide-bail 25, thus enabling a person when secured to'the tape to jump out of a window without danger of striking the wall of the building. The legs of this bail are provided with outwardly extending arms 26, adapted to enter slideways 24, constructed upon the outer side surfaces of the windowframe, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

lVhen the escape is notin use, the bow-section of the guide-bail rests upon the window in Fig. 2,) whereupon the bail will rest upon the window-sill, as shown in Fig. 1, and will efiectually prevent the tape from wearing against the sill and will serve to carry the person so far out from the-building that under no possibility will the descending person be brought in contact with any projection from the face of the building and whereby also the person descending will be carried as far as possible out of reach of the flames issuing of a strip of metal attached at one end to a support for the reel and extended over the upper portion of said reel, a shoe between 1 the ends of said brake for engagin with the periphera surface of the reel, and a pulley mounted in the free end of the brake-strip the pivot-pin of said pulley being extended to engage with the peripheral surface of the reel, substantially as specified. 2. In a fire escape, the combination with a shaft, a reel mounted on the shaft and a tape carried by the reel, of a brake consist ing of a curved strip of metal extended from the upper portion of the reel, a shoe on said brake for engaging with the peripheral surface of the reel, a pulley at the free end of said brake-strip, the pivot-pins of which are extended toengage with the peripheralsurface of the reel, and a spring-and gear connection whereby the reel is rotated in a direction to wind the tape thereon, substantially as speci- 3. A guide for a fire-escape, consisting of slideways having apertures therein and adapted for attachment to .opposite sides of a window or like opening, and a bail having arms projected from its leg-sections and arranged to enter and. travel in the said slideways, for

the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST KURRE. WILLIAM H. GIESELER.

WVitnesses:

J. FRED AOKER,

WALTER S. DOBBINS. 

